An Essay About Father
by Evil LapizLazuli Knight
Summary: Trunks is given a makeup assignment for the one he failed. He's to write about the strongest man on Earth. He decides to write about his father, and goes on a quest to find out more about his father.
1. Chapter 1

"An _F_?!" Bulma exclaimed with disbelief right after seeing the huge bold red mark on Trunks' assignment paper. She glanced at the paper, then at Trunks, then back at the paper with huge eyes, her sky blue eyes sparkling with shock. "How could you get an F?! You're the son of Bulma, smartest woman in the world. You must've gotten your brains from your fathe--"

"Hey!" Vegeta interrupted as he stood up. "I'm not stupid. If there is someone to blame, it should be the teacher. The little moron graded it wrong."

Bulma went over the in-class assignment and sighed. "This is definitely from your side of the family." She rolled her eyes as she handed the piece of paper to Vegeta. Her husband and son looked completely bored. Such a trait might run through the family, and she feared the possibility since she completely detested the trait...only if it was directed towards her, of course. "This assignment was to be a page long about himself."

Vegeta snatched the paper from her fingers and gave her an annoyed look. His coal black eyes read the paper and then he crumpled it and tossed is aside. "I see no problem about it." He turned around, preparing to leave the room. "I can't believe I just wasted my time over something that isn't even _wrong_."

Bulma threw up her hands in exasperation. Males! They are so **unbelievable **(amen sister)! "It's supposed to be a _page_ long! It's an essay assignment. His paper consists of _one_ sentence." She went and retrieved the paper and opened it, flatting it out as best as she could and read it out loud. " _'I'm half human and half saiy-jin and I'm going to be the strongest warrior just like my father!'_" She looked at Vegeta. He was looking at her over his shoulder, one eyebrow arched. He shrugged, obviously still not understanding what the problem was. Was that thick bush of hair a blockade against words so that none can get through his brain? "Vegeta! They don't even know what a saiy-jin _is_!"

"They should!" Trunks said angrily as he stomp his foot like a little child. "We are the strongest race in the universe!"

"That's right, son!" Vegeta gruffly agreed, glancing over to his son. He crossed his arms over his muscular chest and looked at Bulma, waiting for her to argue.

"It's not that easy, you guys!"

"Why not?" both males said in unison, looking completely determined in not giving up in their belief…a belief they thought was truth.

"Because…I don't know! It just _isn't_!"

"Well, well, well!" Vegeta chuckled deep in his throat, a proud smirk on his hard handsome face. "This is coming from the smartest woman in the world! I thought she knew _everything_! After all, she is the _smartest woman in the world_!" Vegeta emphasized that last part. Trunks giggled and Vegeta glanced at him with a knowing look.

"You saiy-jins!" Bulma cried, point her finger at him. "Your ego is as big as your belly!"

"Yeah, well, your mouth is as big as your brain!" Vegeta shot back. "Big mouth!"

Bulma growled, taking a step forward and held out her fist to shake in front of his face. "Thank you for the compliment, stupid monkey!" It was unbelievable. A mere female human dared to stand up against him. Then again, she always does...ever since he stepped foot on her property.

"And I'm proud of it!" Vegeta said, referring to the fact his race was able to turn into large giant apes of mass destruction after looking at a full moon.

Trunks blushed with embarrassment as workers of Capsule Corps strolled by, staring at the scene with interest and amusement. He looked away, wishing he could just sink through the floor and avoid staring eyes. His parents were arguing like children!

"Look, mom, I can ask for a make-up assignment! I'll bring the F to at least a B!" Trunks said, standing between his parents, who glared at each other with death in their eyes, teeth grinding against each other, jaws stiff. Was their fury and passion between other parents like this? How could they stand each other?

"Fine." Bulma said as she straightened her back and cleared her throat. She was back to her professional state of calmness and sophisticated manner. She looked at Vegeta with the same courtesy she gave businessmen, but he simply looked at her like he looked at everyone else, with calm indifference and superiority in his eyes. But there was a smirk on his face that Bulma rarely could stand because it was a smirk of one who looked like they won an argument. Maybe he looked at this argument as a win or lose thing, not a right or wrong. "Trunks, if you need help, you come to me. The only thing your father can help you with is cleaning your plate of food, but we all know you don't need help with that no matter how much he would like to eat your food."

Bulma spun around in one foot, but not before seeing the smirk disappear from his face. She smiled with satisfaction as she walked away. It was rare for Vegeta to get the last laugh when it came to Bulma, and she knew it pissed him off just as much as the fact that Goku is stronger than him…if not more, that is.


	2. Chapter 2

Trunks reached his house, already anticipating the words his mother would say to him. He had just gotten in trouble…again… But even so, his teacher was very "kind and generous" (or so he said) to offer Trunks the make-up assignment. He didn't, however, hand it so quickly. First, he called Trunks' house…

He had just gone through the sliding entrance door when Bulma came up to him. It was obvious that she had been waiting for him. Bulma was rarely seen in the foyer unless for some important occasion. She stood in front of him in a hovering manner, like someone ready dominate and rule, with her fists on her waist, and her feet shoulder-length apart. Although she gave off the vibe of a totalitarian, her voice was calm and under control, as if she had gone through this procedure plenty of times, which she has. "So, Trunks," she said. "I heard you disrespected your teacher--"

"I did not!" Trunks immediately interrupted, ready to defend himself. "It's not my fault my own opinions don't fit with his."

"Just…tell me what happened…" Bulma sighed as she led her son into a living room somewhere on the second floor. And on the way, Trunks told his story.

_Mr. Fry studied the purple haired rebel across his desk. The student didn't seem to return the eye contact. He looked completely bored and uninterested._

"_Trunks," Mr. Fry said, but the child didn't seem to listen. "Trunks!" he said louder, and finally yet passive aggressively, Trunks' lazy eyes met his. "I'm going to be kind. I rarely give such…chances, so you should be grateful."_

_Trunks shrugged and that only caused Mr. Fry to lose more of his control on his rage. He knew Trunks was doing this on purpose. He always did. Trunks was rebellious by nature._

"_So, what's the assignment?" Trunks asked. Mr. Fry sighed. At least the boy had some interest in his grade._

"_Ok, Trunks. It's easy. One page essay about you who you think is strongest person on Earth."_

_Immediately, that perked Trunks' interest as his eyes lighted with excitement. "My dad?" Trunks suggested. Mr. Fry blinked at first, and then smiled as if he was talking to a child that didn't know better._

"_Sure, Trunks, but let's not jump too fast into one choice…there are, of course, others…"_

You mean he wants you to write about Hercule?" Bulma said with shock humor on her face. She laughed a little, finding it all too ridiculous, and shook her head.

"That's what I'm saying!" Trunks said. "And then I said…

"_I thought you wanted me to write an essay of the strongest person." With his elbows on the desk, Trunks lazily rested his chin on one hand, while the other hand tapped its fingers on the wooden surface impatiently. "Not about a fake."_

"_How dare you!" the teacher exclaimed as he stood up and slammed his hands on his desk, knocking the chair backwards. But no one noticed. "Hercule saved this planet from Cell! Do not insult the hero, you ungrateful little brat!"_

Bulma ran her hand down her face with frustration as she looked upward, praying to Kami to control her nerves. She sighed. "Whoever you decide to write about--"

"I'm going to write about dad!" Trunks said, determined.

"Whatever. Just make sure the essay is good, ok?"

Trunks humphed. "I don't even know why I have to make up an assignment. It's not like I lied on the first one…"

* * *

Trunks pressed the pen between his upper lip and noise. And when he lost interest in that, he simply placed the pen behind his ear. His eyes darted to the door that led into the gravity room, wondering when his father would come out. Of course, usually he trained with him, but Bulma gave specific instructions to do his homework. Vegeta was reluctant of course.

Earlier, though, Trunks was starting on his paper when he realized…he didn't even know much about his own dad! When was he born? What was his favorite color?...How old is he?...The only thing he knew what to write about was that his father loved to fight, train, and eat, and that he had a lot of pride, and doesn't want pity. Oh, and he's Prince of all Saiy-jins.

He heard the door open, and out stepped a very sweaty tired man. "Dad!" Trunks called as he jumped up to stand. "I'm writing an essay about you! So you'll need to answ--"

Vegeta walked passed him without stopping or looking at him, leaving Trunks to trail after him. "Ok," he interrupted as both males walked towards the direction of the bathroom. "I am Vegeta, prince of all saiy-jins, one of the world's--no, universe's strongest fighters, and I'm not interested in this."

Trunks was hurriedly writing down the things his father said when that last part hit him. He looked up just in time to see the bathroom door slam shut in his face. Trunks sighed. His father can be so impossible sometimes. Maybe his friends knew more about Vegeta.

* * *

"Whoa there, Trunks." Krillin said as he held out his hands before him, his palm facing Trunks. "I don't know one thing about your father. And I wouldn't exzactly call us 'friends.'"

"But you've fought alongside with my dad once, right?" Trunks said. "How was he in battle? Did he give all he had?"

"Ok, ok, ok." Krillen said with a little laugh. "If there's one thing I know about your dad, it's that he has a whole lot of pride. He never lets anyone belittle him. He prides himself in being a saiy-jin prince, a strong warrior…and overall, just proud of being…himself."

* * *

"Ha, your dad?" Yamcha chuckled. "Well, I've fought with your dad plenty of times in the past, Trunks."

"Really?" Trunks asked, curiosity in his eyes as he stared up at the way taller fighter.

"Yeah, man. Your dad is something else. I mean, he's so arrogant, self-assured about himself, and just…just Vegeta…" Yamcha shook his head with a smile. "Your father came back from space after a while and threatened to beat me up, but your mother, man, she's something else, too. She's the only one I know who can boss Vegeta around. Your father usually listens to no one, and I mean no one. Oh, and he can be a jerk sometimes, too."

Trunks wrote these things down, even the part where Yamcha called Vegeta a jerk.

* * *

"Hmm, Vegeta…" Piccolo said in his gruff voice. "Shouldn't you be asking your own father these questions, instead of asking others?"

Trunks was quiet for a while. "He isn't interested."

Piccolo scoffed. "Your father may be one of the strongest people on Earth, Trunks, but sometimes he has no concern for anyone but himself." He paused. "I don't mean any offense to you, Trunks, but that's who he is. He does things almost for himself, it's almost as if he's…selfish. He wants all the action to himself, and he believes he can take it all. He believes himself to be so strong, that he doesn't need any help from others. But he can't take care of things on his own, you know."

"Piccolo," Dende cut in when he noticed Trunks begin to stiffen angrily. "Vegeta isn't all that bad. Cut him some slack."

"I'm just being honest, and if Trunks can't take it, then so be it." Piccolo said. He turned to Trunks, nodded, and then walked away, his cape flowing gracefully behind him. Suddenly, he stopped. "Slowly, though, I've noticed your father changing little by little. It's small and slow…but he is…changing…."

* * *

"Wow, your dad, huh?" Gohan said as he wrote his own essay for school.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to write about him."

"Well," Gohan started as he put his paper down, "Your father was…very hard to get along with. I mean, I hardly did when I was a child. Actually, no one got along with your dad. It's almost as if he was a loner in our little fighting group. He kept to himself most of the time, unless he wanted to boast about himself, which would be long, but rare."

Trunks sighed sadly and Gohan noticed. "I'm sorry, Trunks," the older man said immediately, "I meant no offense. I mean, your dad is very opinionated about some things, and he gets irritated easily. But even so, to be honest, I like your dad."

Trunks was surprised. "Really? I've asked everyone else about my dad, but they only have negative things to say."

Gohan chuckled. "Well, your dad _is_ very hard to get along with, but I'm sure he has a heart. I mean, if he hadn't, he wouldn't have gotten with your mother, wouldn't he? Did he tell you the story about Cell?"

Trunks shook his head. "The only thing I know was that he, you, and a whole lot of fighters fought Cell very hard, and it was you that finally defeated him. But Mr. Satan got all the credit."

"Oh, well something happened during that time that showed me and everyone that your father indeed does have a heart."

Trunks sighed. "To be honest, I'm beginning to agree with others--"

"Hey, hey, hey." Gohan interrupted. "Don't doubt your father. He's a great guy, really. If you really want to know how great he is, you should ask your mother."

Trunks jumped. "Why didn't I think of that? Gee, thanks Gohan!"

"Anytime, Trunks. See you around!"

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

"Your father," Bulma started as she placed plates on the table for dinner, "Is an egotistical, argumentative, stubborn, arrogant jerk who simply has to look at someone to scare them away with his ugly mug."

'_Gohan is wrong,_' Trunks thought to himself as he stared at his mother with disbelief. _'No one likes my dad.'_ Trunks sat down and listened to his mom rant about his father. His confidence in his father seemed to diminish after every single insult directed towards his dad. He even gave up writing in his little note pad of information because he was only getting the same answer from everyone else.

As Bulma went on, no one knew that Vegeta simply stood on the other side of the wall, listening to his own mate talk about him. Usually, he never cared about people's opinion about him, but for some reason hearing his own mate say the very things other people say seems to hurt. It angered him so much that he felt like retaliating just to piss her off. What pissed him off even more was that he was even pissed off in the _first place_. It was almost dinner time, but he couldn't even stand to see her at the moment. He turned around and walked away, refusing to listen to everything else.

* * *

Bulma walked up to her and Vegeta's bedroom, wondering why he wasn't at the dinner table earlier. She had sent Trunks to look for him, only to have him come back hungry and alone. So she, he, and her parents ate together. The empty seat at the head of table made things a little awkward.

She entered her room and the first thing she noticed was an empty bed, neatly fixed, meaning that no one had rested in the bed at all today, which also meant that Vegeta hadn't been here.

Confused, she went looking for him around the house. Capsule Corps was a humongous building, and she knew it would take her a while. Luckily for her, she saw light peaking under from a door to a guest room. She knew everyone else was in their room, so she figured Vegeta would be in here. As she reached the door, she realized this was his old room before they started sleeping together.

"Vegeta?" she called as she knocked on the door. She didn't hear anything from him. "Vegeta?" she called a second time, worried about this. Ever since he had moved into her room, it was weird to see him in any other.

She opened the door and saw him simply lying on his old bed, arms resting under his head, and his legs spread out. He didn't even look at her, but was staring at the ceiling. In his eyes, she saw anger. Pouting sadly, she sat at the edge of the bed, only to be surprised to see him roll on his side, turning his back to her.

"What's wrong, hun?" she asked hesitantly, fearing that maybe her presence wasn't wanted. She placed her hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off.

"Leave me." He simply said. It was curt and cold. Such a short reply seemed to hurt her though.

"Did I do something?" Bulma continued as she hovered over him, trying to see his face.

"I just want some privacy."

Bulma sighed. She was getting irritated already. It's as if she was dealing with a stubborn child who wanted to be left alone because he didn't get want he wanted.

"Will you stop doing this already?" Bulma said. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I said…leave…me…alone…," he said slowly, each word dripping with venom and anger…and a tint of...hatred…?

"Ok, Vegeta. You're aggravating me. Tell me what's wrong already and I'll leave you alone, ok?"

His next reaction was so unexpected and scary, that Bulma had fallen off the bed onto her bottom.

He had propped himself up on his elbows, glaring at her with anger and disgust. "I SAID GO AWAY!" he yelled at her, shaking the walls around them. His teeth gritted against each other, the muscle in his jaw twitched.

Bulma looked up at him with fear, confusion…and pain. She jumped up seconds later, running out the room as she wiped her tears away. Vegeta watched her running form, her back hunched over, her arms to her face…He almost felt a little guilty but then he remembered everything she had said and knew she didn't have feelings for him anyway.

He covered himself with his blanket with vicious movements, as if he was pissed off by the bed. He tried to go to sleep, but the tears in her eyes ran through his mind, refusing to let him go to sleep.

Trunks had heard his father scream at his mother. He screaming at her, or her screaming at him was usual to Trunks, even embarrassing, but this time…it was different. Their arguments were usually filled with anger, and they were usually about something small or not…threatening to their relationship. He figured they loved each other too much that they felt their relationship was strong enough to withstand anything. 

But this…this wasn't even an argument. It only consisted of Vegeta yelling at Bulma, but Bulma had not fired back, which she usually did. She hadn't this time, and to Trunks, he knew it must have been something serious.

He looked down at his paper, wondering if he should even bother writing anymore. Maybe he should just take the "F" for the assignment; it won't hurt his class grade too much; it might just bring it down to a B. But he was almost done anyway, and he felt so proud of himself for even writing what he wrote.

'_Tomorrow,'_ he thought as he continued writing his conclusion, _'tomorrow, everything will be back to normal.'_

* * *

Everything was not, in fact, back to normal. Trunks realized that when he ran into his house, holding up his graded paper. He looked around his big house for his parents so he could show them his grade. He had gotten an A+!!

"Mom! Mom!" Trunks called, the happy grin on his face not once leaving his face. He found her in a balcony, sipping some tea as she looked at her view of the city. She looked at him when he reached her, holding the paper to her face.

Laughing a bit, she took the paper and smiled, but Trunks realized that the smile was weak and almost regretful, but she didn't say anything but a "good job" and a pat on the back before returning to what she had been doing earlier.

Confused, Trunks asked, "Something the matter?"

She didn't even look at him, but she shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

Trunks decided to leave her alone. She was in a fragile state and anything could make her explode. He knew that, so he walked away, wondering if he should show his dad the grade. But then he knew that he wasn't interested. Trunks instead began looking for his grand parents instead. They were excited about anything Trunks had to say, so he knew his grade would make them happy.

* * *

Vegeta was in his room, changing into some house clothes after his shower, when he heard voices outside. They were the voices of his son, and the parents of Bulma.

Curious, he walked to the door and slightly opened to hear them.

"An A+, eh?" the old man said with a chuckle. "That's a good job, my boy."

"Oh, Trunks!" the bubbly older woman said. "I knew you were so smart! I mean, you shouldn't have to even do a make-up in the first place, but this is great! Your father would be so proud!"

Vegeta watched his son's good mood falter a bit as the little boy took his paper back. "I don't think he would want to read this," he said regretfully.

'_Of course not,'_ Vegeta agreed in his thoughts as he closed the door and walked to his bed, cutting out the conversation, _'who wants to read about something meant to insult him?'_

* * *

This time, Vegeta ate at the table, gobbling all the good food, not once looking at anyone at the table.

Trunks was probably the only one who noticed that his parents had not looked at each other once. His father seemed so busy with his food, while his mother was in a deep conversation with her parents. Usually, she would say at least one thing to him, but she didn't even so much as look at him.

Such scene made him lose his appetite. He knew something was up. Suddenly, he remembered some kids talking in his class a while back…

* * *

"_Yeah, that's how it happens," one said, "First they start to argue…then they avoid each other…and then--BAM! They have a divorce."_

"_Yeah," another agreed, "I know by experience. My parents had a divorce."_

"_Really?" a girl asked. "Is that how it happens for everyone?"_

"_Yup." The first boy said._

"_That's not true." Trunks cut in, looking bored. "My parents argue all the time, but they don't plan on having a divorce anytime soon…or ever for that matter."_

"_That's what I said about my parents," the second boy replied, "But they did. Arguments usually result in a divorce."_

_Trunks laughed insultingly, "That's stupid. Not all relationships are perfect. My parents will never have a divorce."_

"_That's because your parents aren't even married in the first place!"_

_Gasps erupted from the little group of children as they whispered furiously to each other, glancing at Trunks. He looked at all of them with anger. "What makes you think that?!" he argued._

"_If they are, how come they don't hold hands?!" another girl asked in a nasty voice._

"_They don't have to be glued together!" Trunks said, hoping to avoid letting them know that his parents are indeed not married._

"_I saw them once!" another boy added. "Not only were they not holding hands, but they weren't wearing wedding rings!"_

_More gasps. "Trunks is a bastard?" This time Trunks didn't know who that came from. He was growing furious._

"_Those things are usual, aren't they?" another said._

"_Yeah, I think they're everywhere, but I've never seen one before. Wow! They look like everyone else!"_

"_Haha, and who knew that we'd have one in our own class!"_

"_Trunks is a bastard!"_

"_Bastard!"_

"_Shut up!" Trunks cried, but no one listened. "Shut up or I'll beat you all up!!"_

* * *

And that's exactly what he did. He was suspended for a week when he was caught. Teachers came in time to see Trunks reach for a seventh boy, while six others lay on the ground, crying or unconscious. The girls, on the other hand, were squished in the corner, terrified by Trunks' rage.

Vegeta had to come pick him up this time because Bulma was in an important meeting. As they were leaving the building, Trunks overheard one of the kids say, _"Hey, he's right. Trunks' dad isn't wearing a wedding ring."_

He looked at his parents, and then at their hands. Bulma was resting her head on her left hand, and he didn't see a wedding ring. He turned to look at his father's, and saw his left hand, which held up a chicken leg, and saw no wedding ring either.

"_**Bastard!"**_

"SHUT UP!" Trunks cried out as he slammed his fists on the table. Belatedly, he realized he had said it out loud. Even Vegeta looked surprised. Trunks' eyes darted from one adult to the other with panic. Suddenly, tears weld up in his eyes. "Mom! Dad! Are you guys ever going to get married?"

"T-Trunks?" Bulma glanced awkwardly at Vegeta, then to her parents, as she slowly began to stand

But Trunks didn't wait for an answer. He then looked at his dad. "Is it because you two argue so much that you two won't marry?"

"Did something happen, Trunks?" Mrs. Briefs asked as she neared her upset grandson. She, too, was at the verge of crying simply by looking at how distraught Trunks looked.

He looked at her as she held him in her arms. "Is it possible for two people to get a divorce when they aren't even married?" he asked her, but without waiting, he pushed her away softly and ran upstairs to his room.

* * *

**To be continued.**


	4. Chapter 4

Trunks sudden outburst scared Bulma. Excusing herself quickly, she ran after her son, calling after him. Her parents watched her until she disappeared behind a corner, and then turned their eyes to Vegeta, who also was looking at Bulma. He, too, looked at them, shrugged, and continued eating his food.

Mr. Briefs and Mrs. Briefs looked at each other uncomfortably, not sure on how to react to Vegeta's indifference to his own son's trouble. It was Mrs. Briefs who spoke first. "Vegeta, dear, shouldn't you…go check on Trunks?"

Vegeta paused. Although he found Bulma's mother rather annoying, he never could bring himself to scream at her like he did to everyone else. He did, however, feel like screaming. But right now, he just continued eating, pretending not to care.

Mrs. Briefs sighed slowly and long, like a terribly depressed person with no hope of a happy life, and then turned to her husband. "Do you know what made him scream like that?"

Mr. Briefs shook his head. "Why would he ask those sudden questions about his parents?"

Those same questions ran through Vegeta's head, too. Truth was, he was concerned. But those questions would go unanswered unless he went and investigated. The image of tears in Trunks' eyes made Vegeta sick, not in disgust, but with little concern and he found himself losing his appetite. He pushed his plate forward and stood up. He nodded at Bulma's parents and went after his mate and son.

But as he reached the hall to Trunks' room, he saw Bulma standing outside his door.

"Can't I just be left alone?! Please?!" Trunks said from the other side of the room.

Vegeta watched Bulma lean her forehead against his door as she began to sob. He stared with shock as she curled into a ball and, with Trunks crying in his room, began to cry. Her cry combined with Trunks' made Vegeta uncomfortable. He didn't know what to do, and wasn't sure why he even cared, but he did walk up to Bulma.

She looked up at him with red eyes, her cheeks pale with trailing tears. Her red lips were shaking when she asked him, "What are you doing here?"

He only stood there, staring down at her. He didn't know why he was there anymore. At first, he was going to check on his son, but now, he didn't exactly know. He could easily break open the door, but…that might make situations worse. And to be honest, now he didn't feel like dealing with it.

"Don't have anything to say?" she asked with mocking politeness. Then she looked away, her eyes full of anger. "Get out of here. It's obvious you can't do anything right now."

But when he didn't move, she gave out a frustrated sigh as she got up and marched herself into her own room, slamming the door shut into its frame, shaking the walls. A picture hanging on the wall fell and broke its glass frame.

For some reason, Vegeta felt this whole thing was his fault. _'But I didn't do anything!'_ Vegeta thought angrily.

Vegeta shook his head as if to shake off the scene out of his head. _'This whole family is just full of dramatics. They need to get over things because there doesn't seem to be anything worth worrying about.' _

So why was he worried? That question bit him in the back of his mind, nibbling its way through his brain, refusing to be pushed back, no matter how hard he tried. He began to scowl, but the image of a tear stained Bulma and the sound of their cries seemed to tear at him, scratching his heart to leave its mark, and it did.

He went into the leaving room and slumped into a sofa chair. Then a piece of paper caught his attention, which was simply lying on the coffee table before him. There was a huge green mark on it.

A+

Vegeta remembered the conversation Trunks had had with his grand parents, and remembered hearing about his grade. He picked it up and decided to read what bad things Trunks had to say about him. To his surprise, it was more than just a page long.

_My father's name is Vegeta. This might sound weird, but as his own son, I don't really know much about him. So I got the idea of asking his friends. Not only did I hope to get an A+ in this assignment, but I also hoped that in doing this work, I'd be able to know about my dad. I asked a few of his friends, only to find out they weren't really his friends, but friends of my mom. They were more like acquaintances to him. You see, I don't have to be told that my father is almost anti-social and usually keeps to himself. It's the first thing you'll notice when you first meet him._

_From the people I have asked, I had gotten the same answer. The descriptions that were given were those that no one would want to hear about his or her own dad. They called him an arrogant jerk who had too much pride to show any sentimental emotions, even to my own mother. They said he was so self-assured about himself that he thought he could take care of everything by himself, and would warn others not to get in his way. He also never listened to anyone and was one of the hardest people to get along with. Even my own _mother_ agreed with them, and for some reason, as I hear these words, they didn't seem new or weird to me, because I realized when I asked these questions, I got answers that I had already came up with on my own a long time ago._

_The real reason why I went out asking these questions about my father was because I hoped that I was wrong, that there was more to him than I thought he was, but as each description given to me matched my own, I began to realize that maybe that is all to who he is._

Vegeta wanted to stop reading. It was obvious what the rest would be about, but his eyes stayed glued to the paper.

_Then my mother told me something different. Even though she had agreed that he was an over all mean person, she had said that my father had a strong heart. The only reason why we never see that is because as people, we tend to focus on the faults of people rather than the good qualities one has. Yes, my father can be a jerk and yes he is arrogant, but he loves us. If he hadn't, he wouldn't bother to train so hard to fight the androids or Cell who came to wreak destruction and chaos and killed like it was a game. If he had no heart, he wouldn't have gotten with my mother to create me._

_My father trains me almost everyday to become a strong person. Before, I used to think he used me as something to get back at our family friends Goten, Gohan, and their father. I don't know the depth of that, but now I realized the other reason he trains me is to be the strongest I can be so I can protect a family of my own someday._

_It takes my dad a while, but he is changing. I can see it when he has love in his eyes every time he looks at me and my mom. I can see it when he has pride in his eyes every time I learned a new technique. No one sees it, but my mom and I do. When he doesn't know it, my mom and I would see him sitting on a chair, simply smiling to himself._

_And so, for everyone who ever doubted my dad, who ever thought he was nothing more than a cold man, I can only say that I feel sorry for them, because there's more to him than that but they won't see it because they don't want to see pass his front._

_From this assignment, I didn't learn much about my father's past or his interests, but I've learned who he really is now. My father is a strong-willed, proud fighter who does know how to love, and does care for his family, but simply doesn't know how to show it. He is just simply misunderstood. Bus as his family, we already know he loves us, and we love him too._

Vegeta's hand shook as he held the paper. He couldn't resist a feeling in his heart that seemed to tingle with happy warmth that spread around his body. He couldn't stop the lift of the corners of his mouth as it turned into a smile, and then into a grin. It seemed like his body was acting not with his mind…but maybe by…his heart?

He was…happy. It was a different happy he realized. Not the happy he had felt when he turned into a super saiy-jin. Not the happy he had felt when he saw Cell die. No…it was the kind of happy that came with the honor of having such a loving and supporting family. His family was not after all against him, no. They had seen passed his cold exterior for who he really was. He realized that they knew him more than he knew himself.

And they loved him too! They loved him despite his angry looks, his indifference to a lot of things, and his temper. True, Bulma had agreed with what the others had said, but she loved him anyway. And plus, she even defended him…after bashing him first…

Vegeta felt disgusted with himself as he realized that if he hadn't walked away too early yesterday, he would have heard the rest of what Bulma said. He knew that because it even says so in the paper; that is says she believes he has a heart. Now, because of his close-mindedness, because of his fast assumptions, his family was crying.

Slowly, with the paper in his hand, holding it as if it was an old scripture written before time was recorded that it could rip by any sudden movement, he went to Trunks' room. The boy's cries had ceased, and there was silence behind the door, but Vegeta could sense the small body in the other side. He had never knocked on the door for permission. He never really asked for permissions, but he felt like, at this moment, he had to.

"I said go away, mom!" the boy screamed with anger and annoyance. Vegeta winced at the thought that Trunks had immediately thought that it was his mother outside the door, not his father, as if he never went to his room…which was true….unless it was for some training.

"Trunks." Vegeta called, calmly without any harshness. He heard his son gasp on the other side, and then footsteps that ran to the door before it opened slowly to reveal him. His face was dry from tears, but his eyes showed it all.

"I w-wasn't c-crying," Trunks stuttered pathetically as he turned away to avoid eye contact, hoping his father wouldn't scream at him for crying. "I d-don't cry. I never c-cry because I kn-know I'm a man…"

"I cry." Vegeta simply stated softly as he looked down at his son's face dart back up to look at him with surprise and confusion.

"I thought you said…but….why?"

Vegeta knew this was one of those sentimental moments that Bulma had warned him about. _"One of those days is going to come, and you won't have a word to say! You'll be too dumbstruck to say anything!"_ She had teased him when he refused to hold the baby. Now, as he looked at his son, searching deep in his mind for an answer, he realized that Bulma was right…like she usually was.

"It's ok to cry." Vegeta said after some thought.

"But--"

"I know what I said, Trunks. You can cry…about things. But to cry over small things are what I find to be totally stupid and not worth it. But right now…it's ok to cry."

"I don't get it."

Vegeta looked away, knowing this was going no where.

"I see you saw my paper." Trunks said, his eyes resting on the assignment in Vegeta's finger.

He nodded and handed it back.

"Sorry you had to see that," his son continued.

"No, I'm sorry I saw it too late." Vegeta said. He patted his son. "But I'm proud of you, son. I've always been."

Something gleamed brightly in Trunks' eyes. The boy grinned widely that Vegeta found it contagious when he couldn't help but smile. He ruffled Trunks' purple hair before stepping back.

"Where are you going? To train?"

"No, much worse. To talk to your mother."

Trunks laughed at the unintentional joke. Vegeta gave a grim smile before walking off like a proud soldier marching into the battle field to meet the opponent.


	5. Chapter 5

This time, Vegeta didn't knock on his own bedroom door…the bedroom he shared with Bulma. He heard her crying before he even saw her. She was lying on her side, her back to the door. When he entered, she heard him and turned around.

"Get out of my room, Vegeta." She snapped.

"It's _my _room, too."

"No, your room is down the hall, remember?"

Vegeta looked at his woman's eyes, glistening with angry tears, and then at her pale tear stained face. Without thinking, he got into the bed with her, crawling up to her like a stealthy lion, getting ready to pounce on his prey.

Not knowing how to react, she leaned away as he got closer. When she felt herself at the edge of the bed, she stopped and decided to stop moving away and attack the matter at hands. "Vegeta, first you move yourself into another room, then you refuse to acknowledge my presence in the house, and now you're basically about to attack me. I don't understand you at all."

"On the contrary, you understand me a lot. More than probably even myself."

Suddenly, her mask of anger turned to one of innocent confusion and finally into suspicion. "Is this some kind of joke you're trying to play? If it is, then you have some weird humor."

Bulma saw pained embarrassment flash through Vegeta's face before quickly being replaced by bewildered face. Then she realized that he was backing away. She knew he regretted this. He wasn't looking at her anymore. As he simply stared at the bed, she figured that the deep thought in his eyes showed he was thinking of what to do.

What exactly was he doing, coming in here like this? This was completely different that Bulma wasn't sure how to react. His eyes began to shift angrily around the room, his lips moving slightly. Maybe he was trying to decide what to say.

"I shouldn't have…asked you to leave me alone." He said, slowly and hesitantly, but his eyes still hadn't met hers.

"Asked?" she gave a little insulting 'Ha' afterwards. "That's an understatement. What do you want?"

"To…sleep…" he said quietly, and nervously.

"I'm not stopping you."

Suddenly, the tension seemed to slip out of his body as he gave out a long breath of relief. He looked skyward and gave a little prayer to Kami.

Bulma found herself feeling a little disappointed. Part of her wanted Vegeta out. But another part of her wanted Vegeta to stay, to talk to her, and to tell her…why he was acting so weird. She wanted him to beg her for forgiveness, but she knew Vegeta never did ask for forgiveness…he never begged, either. His pride may keep him standing, but it pushed him so far away from others that sometimes it made her angry and sad.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the realization that Vegeta, who had changed while she was in her own thoughts, was now slipping underneath the covers.

"What are you doing?!" Bulma shrieked. Vegeta jumped with surprise and looked at her with wide eyes.

"I want to sleep." He simply said, looking at her as if she was daft.

She shook her head. "I know that. But your room is down the hall!"

He gave her a one sided smile. "You must be bad at geography, because my room is right…here…"

"That's not what you said earlier!"

"I read Trunks' paper." He said, his face wiped clean from the smile.

Bulma stopped and simply stared, hoping he would continue, but he didn't. He seemed to suddenly interested fabric of the blanket because he was intensely staring at it.

"The reason…I was angry in the first place…was because…you insulted me."

"Why did you think that? When did I--" she suddenly stopped, looking guilty. "You were there, weren't you?" When he didn't respond, she continued. "That's why you weren't at dinner that time, and neither were you in here the other night." He nodded. "But…if you had listened to everything I sai--"

"That's the thing," he interrupted. "I didn't. I was so…angered because you seemed to agree with the others, that I didn't want to hear the rest you had to say."

"Oh, Vegeta, you never cared about what others think about you, remember? You wouldn't give a rat's ass if Krillen and Yamcha made fun of you for having a huge widow's peak--" at that, she saw him quickly lift his hand to his forehead, and was tempted so laugh, but didn't --"Or how much of a…a jerk you can be…"

"I care when it comes from those I care about."

Bulma was quiet. Something in her was telling her that Vegeta had admitted to caring about his family, which meant that he does acknowledge them at all! And to know that he cared about her and their son filled Bulma with so much joy that it brought tears to her eyes. He was staring at her, and then he looked sorry.

"It's apparent that I make you unhappy." He started to rise. "I'll be going now."

As he got off the bed, he felt small frail hands grab hold of his strong arm and lightly tugged at it. He looked down at her, and saw a smile on her face.

"You doofus," she said with a little laugh, "These tears are tears of joy."

He scoffed. "Preposterous! Why would you cry when you're happy?" But on his face was a little smile as he sat back down, his eyes not once leaving hers.

"That's what we humans do."

He scoffed again with a one-sided grin. "Weak humans." He said before descending his lips upon hers.

* * *

Trunks in his room heard a shriek down the hall in his parents' bedroom. He had stayed quietly, hoping…praying that screams wouldn't erupt from the room. Thinking his prayers had gone unanswered, he began to wrap himself in his blanket, wondering why his parents never got along. 

Suddenly, he realized there was another sound. He strained his ear to hear what it was. It was…was it? Yes, indeed! It was laughter!

"Stop it!" the laughing voice pleaded. "I'm ticklish there!"

Trunks' little frown turned into a happy smile as he realized that his mother was being tickled. Too happy he was to go back to bed. Thinking quickly on what to do, he grabbed his pillow and ran down the hall into his parent's bed room.

On the bed, on her back, with her foot in the hands of Vegeta as he mercilessly slid his fingers down her foot, was Bulma, laughing hysterically. Tears poured down the side of her face, which was beet red.

With Trunks' presence in the room, both adults stopped what they were doing and looked at their soon, who had a mischievous grin on his face. Jumping into the air, he made a move to his father with his pillow, but only in succeeded in hitting nothing. In mid-air, his head frantically turned around, looking for his father.

Vegeta was standing to the side of the bed, arms folded across his chest. Ah, his ever-so-confident stance of the Saiy-jin Prince.

"Trunks," Vegeta said with a mocking smile, "Looks like we need to work on quickening your speed. You're simply too slo--"

A pillow smacked him across the face, silencing what else he had to say. The proud holder of the pillow pulled it back and held it up, ready to attack again. Vegeta found himself staring at his attacker with surprise for he had never expected _her_ to get him.

"Either put up, or shut up, Vegeta!" she said with a wolfish grin.

Vegeta laughed at the very own quote he had once said to Zarbon a long time ago. How she knew that was beyond him…or maybe she didn't. But what did it matter? His eyes moved lazily and slowly from his son to his mate, purposely doing it to show he had nothing to worry about.

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Briefs could only sit in their seats as they heard the chaos and destruction followed by screams of laughter upstairs. The walls shook, some picture frames sliding down and crashing into the ground, completely unnoticed. Even the ground seemed to vibrate. The plates on the table shook, then stilled…only to shake again when there was another crash. The sound of glass breaking didn't seem to make the old couple move from their seats. They continued to sip on their tea like it was nothing. 

"Trunks! Pantsing is against the rules!" a dark voice yelled.

"There are no rules!" two voices screamed with unison.

"I guess everything is back to normal," Mr. Briefs said after more crashes and screams.

"Normal?" Mrs. Briefs said incredulously. "Normal would be arguments, dear! This is new and completely different!"

"Is it bad?"

"Of course not!"

"That isn't fair!" a loud muffled voice screamed, this one being lighter than the first. "I can't fly!"

Suddenly, all the crashing and shaking stopped, but the laughing continued. The old couple was left to wonder what was going on now.

* * *

The next morning, Vegeta woke up with a start as something came down on his neck. He looked down and saw little toes. His eyes followed the leg connected to it, that led his eyes to see a snoring Trunks, who looked like he wouldn't wake up to the sounds of Vegeta's loud yells in his ears. 

Picking up Trunks' foot, Vegeta threw it aside, completely disgusted by the stench. He turned to his other side to a much better image. To his side was a sleeping Bulma, lightly snoring, with her mouth slightly open for air. Vegeta's fingers fiddled with the beautiful soft blue hair before brushing the tendrils from her face so he could have a better view. He kissed her forehead, fondling her face in his strong hands. He sat up and had to push Trunks out of his way to get out of bed.

He was about to walk out of the door when he noticed Trunks was dangling at the edge of the bed. Before he fell, Vegeta caught him. He then placed him next to Bulma, and brought the blanket up to his cheek. After glancing at the sleeping forms on his bed, and of course stepping over broken items on the ground, he walked out to do some serious training.

* * *

It was hours later when Trunks woke up. Stretching like a cat, he yawned. Around him he felt nothing. He sat up with a jolt and looked around. His mother was on the other side of the bed, her back to him, but his father was no where to be seen. 

He jumped out of the bed, but yelped when his foot landed on the sharp part of a piece of a broken vase. But when he balanced on the other foot, as he held the injured one in his hands, he accidentally hopped onto a little ball that his mother squished every time she needed to relieve herself from stress. He slipped backwards, falling on his bottom.

Looking around him, the memory of last night came to his head, making him smile. The small little pillow fight turned from something so small into a major brawl before Trunks and Vegeta started flying outside. He remembered his mother at the balcony, looking at her flying boys in the air, screaming that it was unfair.

Trunks held out his hand for his mother, and when she grabbed on, he threw her at his father. Bulma had probably known his plan all along, because she didn't scream with fright. Instead, she held out her pillow, ready to smack Vegeta. She and Trunks both knew that Vegeta would have no choice but to catch her. And when he did, she didn't wait to smack him with her pillow multiple times. Vegeta looked away to protect his face, only to see Trunks' evil face.

It was then that they thought they had him. But then Vegeta…he held Bulma in front of him as a human shield.

He also remembered the angry frustration in his father's face when he pantsed him. It was something to remember!

Deciding to fly, Trunks went downstairs. His grandfather was not around, but his grandmother was cooking some food. When she saw Trunks, she greeted him. "You and your mother missed breakfast, but I'm making some lunch now! Go and wake up your mother!"

"I will," Trunks replied, "But have you seen my dad?"

"Oh, he's always where he is! The gravity room!" Trunks nodded and left.

He stood outside the metal sliding door with big black bold prints on it, saying "**GRAVITY ROOM**". With his fist, he pounded on the door. "Dad!" he called.

After some seconds, it slid open to reveal a sweaty Vegeta.

Father and son simply stared at each other, wondering what is now to happen after last night. Trunks admitted that last night was indeed fun, but would his father continue to be the carefree fun man he was last night, or return to the ever-so-busy father who continued to train. He wasn't sure, because on Vegeta's face were no expressions at all. Would his father even pretend that last night never happened? Trunks head looked down like a defeated man.

"You know," his father said slowly. Trunks looked up and saw a smirk on his face. "We still need to work on your speed. I find it dreadfully slow, judging by last night."

Trunks grinned and happily nodded, stepping into the gravity room behind his father with the metal doors sliding shut behind them.

* * *

**fin.**


End file.
